You never forget your first anime

[rocklobster]

Let's step back into our childhoods. What was the first anime you ever watched?
For me, I have two firsts. As a child, the first anime I ever watched was Voltron, known to Japan as GoLion. Sure, the American version was chopped up and censored (not to mention totally reworked), but I didn't know it at the time. I didn't even know it was Japanese. All I knew was that it had five robotic lions, an awesome theme song, and I loved it. Still do.
The second first was Ronin Warriors, or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. At the time, I had actually done a paper on Japan, so I knew enough of the history to know what a samurai in armor looked like. When I first saw the transformation sequences, I thought they were pretty neat. And then I saw the finishing moves each character had. That sold me. They were so awesome to watch. (FLARE UP NOW!) I was hooked in no time.
So how about you? What was your gateway drug into the realm of anime?

[Ante Bellum]

I...
don't...
remember...

[ABlipinTime]

I watched Kirby Right Back at Ya a long time, and before that, I think Sonic adventures (or something like that).
As a kid, Sonic is funny due to all the slack-stick humor. I can't stand it now.
Kirby on the other hand was... mesmerizing. I still enjoy watching those shows, despite how childish it makes me feel. It's the only anime (off the top of my head) with relatively (and I said relatively) cheap character design that I don't mind in the least way. I like that show.

[battletech]

The first time I saw my first anime was back sometime in the late 80s. I have seen too many since then that I cannot remember.

[Sapphire225]

Like most people my age, the first anime I saw was Pokemon (and then Digimon). However, at the time, I didn't know that it was anime. Sailor Moon was next up on the list.

[Nate]

Probably Robotech or Voltron. I can't say for sure...I seem to have...forgotten.

[Ante Bellum]

*sets up a sign in the corner of the thread that says, "Those Who Forgot Their First Anime," then sits next to it*

[FllMtl Novelist]

Like most people my age, the first anime I saw was Pokemon (and then Digimon).

Same for me, though I saw a tiny, tiny portion of these. I saw a smattering of Pokemon episodes, and exactly three Digimon, thanks to our library having a video with the first three. However with Pokemon, I read books, memorized the handbook (practically) and wondered why I knew more than that show's protagonist. I basically did everything except collect cards (though I ended up with a few) and play the games. XD

After I left Pokemon I didn't touch anime until I played a Naruto game at a friends house, we borrowed it, found out when it was on, then was hooked on that. Of course, they stopped airing some time after, and my sister and I started reading the manga online and watching episodes at our library.

The rest is fuzzy but eventually my brother found FullMetal Alchemist, introduced it to me, and everything's been lovely~

[CrimsonRyu17]

I forget.

[Atria35]

I think my first was Pokemon. I loved it. And then I moved on once Misty left.

However, that was NOT my 'Gateway into anime'- I didn't know what anime was at that age. I didn't get reintoduced until high school with some really stupid shows that my friend adored (I'd outgrown the Magical Girl shows by that point). Baccano! was my 'Gateway'- it showed me that it could be adult and full of action and way more than what my friend was showin me.

[MightiMidget]

Pokemon technically. For some reason Pokemon was fine but I had a strong "anime is evil" vibe til last year when I finally sat down and watched Fruits Basket with a group of friends and loved it.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Does it count if you didn't actually realize it was "anime" when you watched it? Superbook and The Flying House were the first anime I ever saw, and I was well aware even then that I liked 'em better than the other Bible story cartoons my church library had, but it wasn't until years later that I realized they were Japanese.

Beyond that, my memory is a little fuzzy. I know the first anime MOVIE I ever knowingly saw was Robot Carnival (oh SyFy, remember back when you were cool?), but I'm sure I'd seen a few scattered TV shows before that. Probably either Dragon Ball Z or Voltron.

[Falx]

I only found out a while ago that Heidi was anime.

They dubbed it into like three languages here.
That and Maya the bee.

First thing I watched knowing it's anime is the first Ghost in The Shell movie.

[TWWK]

For me, I have two firsts. As a child, the first anime I ever watched was Voltron, known to Japan as GoLion. Sure, the American version was chopped up and censored (not to mention totally reworked), but I didn't know it at the time. I didn't even know it was Japanese. All I knew was that it had five robotic lions, an awesome theme song, and I loved it. Still do.

Ah, Voltron. That was my first two...well either that or Speed Racer. And as with you, I had no idea they were Japanese. For me, I loved the shows, but even moreso, it was all about the toys. I had a cool Voltron action figure with metal parts in addition to plastic, and I always wanted the 3-foot-tall Voltron.

As for later on in life, it was Tenchi Muyo! That show remained my clear favorite for years, and though it's fallen a bit off my radar, I still count it among a handful of favorites.

[Atria35]

Pokemon technically. For some reason Pokemon was fine but I had a strong "anime is evil" vibe til last year when I finally sat down and watched Fruits Basket with a group of friends and loved it.

I honestly think that most Christians who denounce it don't know what it is or get their opinions who other Christians who don't know what it is.

For instance, I have a friend who's father think all anime is evil. Period. Wanna know what his favorite cartoon ever of all time is?

Speed Racer.

He has no idea it's actually an anime.

[Kaligraphic]

I think it was either Speed Racer or Akira, I don't remember which of the two I saw first. I know that Akira was the first one I knew was "Japanimation".

[ShiroiHikari]

Let's see...the first ones I saw were probably Superbook and The Flying House, but I didn't know it at the time. I was like...four or five. I also saw Voltron a couple of times and even though it was a "boys' show" I kinda thought it was cool.

Then we got cable and I started watching Nick Jr., and they had fun shows like Grimm's Fairy Tales, Maya the Bee, The Li'l Bits, and a whole bunch of others. That was when my dad told me they were Japanese cartoons. I didn't really think anything of it at the time; I just liked the shows.

The anime that made me a fan was Sailor Moon. At first I thought it was stupid, but then my little nephew made me start watching it with him and I got hooked! Next came Dragonball Z, which I loved from the first time I saw it. After that there was no turning back.

[FllMtl Novelist]

XD I saw some Speed Racer too, though not until I was like... twelve. I think I knew it was anime, and I though it was hilarious the way he kept doing these gasping sigh things. "Ah! Aaah, hah!"

[Okami]

Well, Pokemon and Digimon aside, it's a tossup between Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin. I was twelve or so.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Voltron, bad dub and all. Gigantor was right on its heels, though.

The first anime that I watched that triggered my quest to learn about what anime was and pushed me to eventually become a fan of the medium was Dragonball Z.

[Syreth]

Ronin Warriors, Voltron, or Speed Racer. I can't remember which one I watched first.

[goldenspines]

If you don't count Pokemon or Digimon (which we could, but I don't, really XD), my first anime that I watched all the way through was Utena.
Yeah, odd thing to start out with. I should have started with Sailor Moon had I been smarter back then. XD;
But if we weren't counting full series, I think Tokyo Mew Mew was the first anime I started watching (but sadly never got to finish yet. :< )

[Hiryu]

Speed Racer and Voltron before I considered them anime. It was DBZ, Gundam Wing, other toonami anime, and slayers next that got me into it.

[TopazRaven]

Hm, I honestly think my first anime was Pokemon. xD

[CrystalChalice]

I'm not really sure which one of them I saw first, but it was either Akazukin ChaCha or Pokemon.

[Sheenar]

My first anime was Sailor Moon. I'd try to watch it faithfully every week when it was on Cartoon Network. I never did get to finish it, though (it stopped airing.)

What's funny is that back then, my guy friends at school were really into DBZ and I remember thinking they were weird. But I started watching the series last year (I had seen a few episodes here and there and they got my interest) and now I'm 4 seasons in and love it.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Well, technically I guess the first anime I saw the whole thing of was the movie Scamper the Penguin (I only realized it was Japanese-made like a year ago!). There was a period where my little sisters were obsessed with it, and would watch it like once a day.

But when I really began to comprehend what anime was, I was exposed to three anime kind of all at once: My Neighbor Totoro, DBZ, and Pokemon. The one I latched onto was Pokemon

[Juliannesan]

Does it count if you didn't actually realize it was "anime" when you watched it? Superbook and The Flying House were the first anime I ever saw, and I was well aware even then that I liked 'em better than the other Bible story cartoons my church library had, but it wasn't until years later that I realized they were Japanese.

Beyond that, my memory is a little fuzzy. I know the first anime MOVIE I ever knowingly saw was Robot Carnival (oh SyFy, remember back when you were cool?), but I'm sure I'd seen a few scattered TV shows before that. Probably either Dragon Ball Z or Voltron.

Same here. Superbook was introduced to me as a toddler, when I was about 2. And I LOVED it. But I had no idea or concept of what Japanimation was. I just thought it was awesome, and my parents liked it. [ironically, my dad also hated anime later on, but didn't know he was sort of the one who introduced me to it in the first place]

Later on, I watched an episode of Pokemon, because my younger brother's friend Matthew was OBSESSED and I mean OBSESSED with it. So one time we visited him after school and he put it on, and instantly, me and my brother thought it was the stupidest show in the world and got bored.

2 years later, my brother was watching the WB channel and flipped the station to where Yu-Gi-Oh! was playing. And I instantly fell in love with it.
[that was when I developed my first anime character crushes] I watched it mostly because of Yami Yugi, Seto Kaiba and Bakura. I just loved the characters.

After that, Rurouni Kenshin started airing in the US on Cartoon Network on my 15th birthday, so I started loving and watching that, and watched bits and pieces of Yu Yu Hakusho, but with little interest. and after that, I wanted to watch more and more. and I've had breaks in between, but somehow I always find something new and interesting to watch. Now I have my own collection.

[Winry]

Dragonball Z followed closely by Sailor Moon

[Lilac#18]

[color="Plum"]The first anime I remember seeing before I know it was anime was Speed Racer, but I wasn't interested in it. The first anime I saw that I still didn't know was anime that I really liked was Sailor Moon. I first watched Sailor Moon when it was on KBHK now KBCW/The CW.[/color]